A city councilwoman from Commerce, Georgia has been cuffed and collared on allegations of peddling pot. Roshuanda Merritt, the 43-year-old elected official representing Ward 5, found herself in the grasp of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) after a drug investigation into her dealings.
Prior to the GBI's probe, the Sheriff's office in Jackson County had been sniffing around in an unrelated investigation when they scented Merritt's alleged distribution scheme to quickly to disperse marijuana from her residence. Subsequently, in December last year, they called in the GBI to give it a closer look.
It seems the councilwoman turned herself in to authorities last Thursday, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. The jail in Jackson County is now playing host to Merritt, where she's booked under charges including criminal attempt to commit the sale of marijuana and usage of a telecom facility to facilitate a felony.
Commerce's response has been zipped tight. “Because this matter involves an open and ongoing investigation, the City of Commerce has no comment at this time,” said Commerce Assistant City Manager Matthew Hailey, in a statement picked up by Channel 2 Action News. The investigation remains to actively unfold, with no additional details surrounding Merritt’s collar currently revealed.
The charges slapped on Merritt reflect a tangling journey from serving the public to servicing clients with illicit greens. This turn of events casts a long shadow over the seat she captured just two months prior, with constituents surely eyeing the proceedings with a wary gaze. The veil over this political drama has yet to be lifted fully, as all cards haven't yet been laid out on the investigative table.
